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'Each of us reacts differently to a given medication, so by using a patient's own cells we can create a targeted, personalised treatment plan,' chief researcher Kim Hemsley said.

WHAT IS SANFILIPPO SYNDROME?

Sanfilippo syndrome is metabolic disorder that is passed down through families. If both parents carry the defective gene, a child has a one in four chance of being affected. It is seen in about one in 70,000 births.

The syndrome makes the body unable to properly break down long chains of sugar molecules called glycosaminoglycans (formerly called mucopolysaccharides).

The Sanfilippo syndrome is a degenerative condition that causes children to experience declining brain function with hyperactive behaviour, progressive dementia and loss of mobility.

It is caused by a lack of an enzyme in the body required to break down the heperan sulphate sugar molecule and affects approximately one in 70,000 children.

Ultimately, that brain damage is fatal with life-expectancy for sufferers is between 12 and 20 years.

Professor Hemsley said the 'brains in dishes' will allow researchers to fast-track the testing of a range of drugs that have already been deemed safe for humans.

They will reverse engineer patients' skin cells into stem cells before developing them into neural cells, creating an individualised representation of the brain.

The South Australian government has contributed $2 million to the research, with a further $500,000 coming from the Sanfilippo Children's Foundation.

The charity estimates there are between 75 to 100 children living with the condition in Australia.

Teams from the Adelaide Women's and Children's Hopsital and the University of Adelaide will also help in the study.

The Sanfilippo syndrome is a degenerative condition that causes children to experience declining brain function with hyperactive behaviour, progressive dementia and loss of mobility - and the disease is ultimately fatal (stock image)

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Australian researchers to use 'brain in a DISH' technology to fight fatal 'childhood dementia'